ANLCA  calls on NPA, Ojora to salvage lillypond terminal  

The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs (ANLCA), Tin Can 2 Chapter has called on the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and traditional rulers within the Ijora community to
address issues affecting the lull of operational activities at the dry port saying, the facility has been under-utilised for close to a decade.

The Chapter Chairman, Mr. Femi Olabanji disclosed this in a chat with  newsmen in Lagos, saying officers and men of the Nigeria Customs Service at Lilypond command are jobless as most of them sit in the office from 9 am to 5pm without meaningful contributions to the nation’s economy

Olabanji called on  traditional rulers of the community to engage the government on how the facility can be revived, adding that there are over 10,000 direct and indirect sources of employment for people living in the vicinity if only the terminal can be revamped.

According to him, “You can see that officers at Lilypond terminal are not engaged in anyway. Officers are there doing nothing except reading of newspaper . We only have the free trade zone that is functional but the question is how many officers are their working.

“Ijora is a big town and I don’t understand what the Oba of the community is doing to engage the government on the issue at hand.

“If Lilypond is functional there will be relative peace in the community because job will be available for the teeming youths.

He also called on the government to engage the concessionaires of the terminal on the way forward.

“The huge loss recorded at Lilypond is not too good for the government and customs . Therefore, we  want the Comptroller General of Customs to advice the government to look into the situation critically because Tin Can 2 is a peculiar port which can compete with the seaport command.

He described Lilypond terminal as waste investment of government considering  the huge salaries paid to officials of  government agencies,noting that there is no source of revenue generated from the facility.

Asked if the terminal should be scrapped by the government, the ANLCA chieftain argued that with the intervention of the traditional rules,management of NPA and customs, the facility can be revamped.

“I believe that if these people continue to talk about the need to revive this terminal I know that the government would do something to effect a change.

“Lilypond is a command with a reliable controller and Nigeria government has spent so much to put that place in order despite been concessioned to APMT.

“Despite all the huge monies expended on the facility by the government customs, NPA officers’ salaries, same goes to the police, DSS and others without getting result for the purpose it was established,’ he said.